Quick! Start packing now!

Getting sick before a vacation is the very last thing anyone wants to experience. Yet that’s exactly what happened before our Disney trip. My husband got brave and decided to take our oldest three alone and leave our youngest and me home to get well. This is where the fact that the more you travel the easier it gets, really showed. Three days in, the texts got a bit more stressed and desperate for backup. The logistics were stressful, the ins and outs of meal plans and park layouts, and how to have only two hands and three kids. I don’t blame him. Vacations are tough! Disney is a whole new ballgame if you aren’t familiar and extra hard if you are the only adult and outnumbered!

Within minutes of his “not asking me to come” plea, I started looking at flights. I kicked open my private browsing and started looking for tickets. I started with Nashville because our airport is small. There was nothing I was willing to pay. So, I started searching for flights out of Atlanta. It would mean four hours of driving instead of eleven. I found two deals. One was with Fronteir, but they would nickel and dime me on baggage and the stroller I had to bring. SouthWest ended up being cheaper when all was taken into account. I had exactly forty-five minutes to leave my house after the tickets were purchased. I was drinking coffee on my couch and in my pajamas.

To be honest, I sat down for five minutes and finished my coffee. In my head I began to get dressed. That’s how I pack. I do it in the order that I get ready. So I got panties, bras, bottoms, tops, shoes and so on. Then I went through my makeup routine and grabbed all of those things. Then I did the same for our toddler. Then, I went over our basic needs: Clothing, food, shelter, water, and safety.

Clothing

Road and plane food

All windows and doors locked

Drinks for the road

Set the alarm

Grab the cell phone and charger

We left exactly on the minute we had to be out by. Six hours after I booked tickets, I touched down in Orlando! Oh I was not operating at one hundred percent. Even with feeling sick, I have waded through the learning curve to know what each child needs in order to feel safe, secure, happy, and that their trip is fun! I believe traveling becomes easier the more you do it.